The Benshi, the voice that told silent films in Japan

When cinema arrived in Japan at the end of the 19th century, spectators not only discovered new technology: they discovered a new form of show. But contrary to what the expression “mute cinema” might suggest, the first Japanese projections are far from silent. In front of the screen, an artist tells the story, explains the situations, interprets the dialogues and gives a voice to the characters: the benshi, also called katsudo benshi or, more simply, katsuben. For several decades, these narrators became major figures in Japanese entertainment, some acquiring a celebrity comparable to that of the great stars of the theatre. Understanding the role of the benshi allows us to discover a particularly original facet of Japanese cinema history, but also to better understand how Western technology has been integrated into a Japanese culture already rich in oral narrative and live performance traditions.

What is a benshi?

The termBenshiliterally means “orator” or “rhetor”. In the context of cinema, he designates the artist responsible for accompanying live the projection of a silent film. There is also the expressionkatsudo benshi, which can be translated as “orator of animated images”, as well askatsuben, abbreviated form of katsudo benshi today commonly used to talk about this art.

Reducing the benshi to a simple narrator would, however, be misleading. It does not just describe what appears on the screen. During the screening, he presents the characters, explains the events, interprets their dialogues, comments on certain scenes, and can also provide the public with cultural or historical information necessary to understand the film. When it comes to foreign production, its role becomes even more important as it can explain situations, behaviours or references that are not necessarily familiar to Japanese viewers.

The benshi is therefore both narrator, performer, vocal actor and mediator between the film and its audience. His performance is live and an integral part of the session. The film is therefore not necessarily regarded as a complete work independent of the one that tells it: the projection and performance of the benshi together form the show.

The beginnings of cinema in Japan

Cinema appeared in Japan only a few years after the first European screenings. On November 25, 1896, a kinetoscope was presented at the Kobe Shinko Club. This new technology is completely unknown to the Japanese public. The animated images naturally arouse curiosity, but we must also explain the operation of the machine and help the spectators understand what they are seeing.

It is in this context that appearsUeda Hoteiken, generally considered one of the first precursors of benshi. Born Ueda Tsunetsujiro in 1849, he already has an experience of narrative and performance. He would have worked in the gidayu tradition before participating in various popular shows. His mastery of speech allows him to transform the presentation of a new technology into real performance.

In the following months, different projection systems arrived in Japan through several intermediaries. The first demonstrations of the cinematographer and the vitascope are also accompanied by persons responsible for commenting or explaining the images. This presence gradually becomes a permanent feature of Japanese projections.

The benshi did not appear several decades after the introduction of cinema. It almost accompanies the very beginnings of this new form of entertainment in Japan.

Why did Japan develop this form of narrative?

The appearance of the benshi is largely explained by the existence of much older Japanese traditions in which the narrator’s words occupy a central place. The Japanese audience has long known shows where a person tells, interprets or explains a story to the audience.

TheBunraku, or ningyo joruri, provides a particularly important example. The tayu, accompanied by the shamisen, tells and interprets the story while puppets evolve on stage. His voice makes it possible to distinguish characters, transmit their emotions and advance history. The viewer is therefore already accustomed to the voice of an interpreter outside the action directly contributing to the creation of a visual representation.

Thekabuki,kōdan,rakugo, as well as various forms of shows using images or projections also participate in this culture of oral narration. Etoki, which includes explaining religious images or representations to an audience, is another interesting cultural precedent.

When cinema arrives in Japan, it does not meet an audience lacking references. The new technology is integrated into an artistic environment in which to tell an image and interpret a story with the voice are already familiar practices. Benshi can thus be seen as the result of a meeting between Western cinema and a long Japanese tradition of narrative performance.

A narrator who actually plays the film

The work of the benshi is much more complex than just a description of the images. His narration can explain what the viewer sees, but also what the image does not show directly. It can present the context of a scene, clarify the relationships between the characters, explain their intentions or highlight certain elements intended to provoke an emotional reaction.

This function becomes particularly important for foreign films. A Japanese spectator from the 1910s or 1920s can discover on the screen clothes, buildings, social behaviors or historical references that are completely unknown to him. The benshi then serves as a cultural mediator and adapts the narrative to the knowledge of its audience.

His role is therefore sometimes more like that of a storyteller than that of a translator. He not only translates the words of a character: he interprets the entire film and helps the viewer understand the universe in which the story unfolds.

One voice for several characters

Benshi is also a vocal actor. He can interpret the dialogues of several characters in the same scene, changing his tone, rhythm, register or intonation. A woman, a child, an old man or an authoritarian character can thus possess very different voices, while they are all produced by the same artist.

This performance requires excellent control of diction and rhythm. The benshi must carefully monitor the progress of the images and intervene at the appropriate time. It cannot simply recite a text independently of the projection: its narrative must remain synchronized with what appears on the screen.

This particularity brings the benshi closer to certain Japanese narration traditions. His performance is based on voice, rhythm, silence and interpretation, while images provide visual support for his story.

A projection was a live show

A Japanese cinema session of the time was therefore nothing like a silent projection watched today in a modern room. The benshi was usually in front of the screen or slightly on the side, so that the images could be observed while facing the public. He could also use a fan or other small accessories to accompany his performance.

The screening was often accompanied by musicians. Music helped strengthen dramatic scenes, comic moments or action sequences. The audience therefore attended a performance combining several artistic forms: recorded image, live narration, vocal interpretation and musical accompaniment.

This configuration also explains why Japanese cinemas had a stage. The cinema was much closer to the living show than our contemporary conception of the film as an independent audiovisual work suggests.

When the benshi become stars

During the 1910s and especially the 1920s, the benshi gained considerable popularity. Some become real national celebrities and their names may appear prominent in promoting sessions.

This is particularly surprising when compared to our current conception of cinema. Today, the audience usually chooses a film based on its director, actor or genre. In Japan’s golden age of silent cinema, the choice could also depend on the benshi accompanying the session.

Some spectators had their favorite narrators and moved to listen to them. Their vocal style, their humour, their way of interpreting the characters and their introductory formulas were part of their artistic identity. Names likeTokugawa Musei,Matsuda Shunsui,Nishimura Rakuten,Ikoma Raikyu,Kunii ShikoorShizuta Kinpaare associated with this particularly dynamic period in the history of Japanese cinema.

The phenomenon was significant enough for some benshi to gain influence comparable to that of theatre stars. In certain circumstances, the public could even react directly to the action or to the characters through shouts and comments, further strengthening the living character of the performance.

Benshi could influence the film itself

The popularity of these artists was not limited to the audience. It also had consequences for the film industry.

The directors knew a benshi was gonna show their movie. The narrative could therefore complement the information provided by the images and headings. Some works could leave more room for oral interpretation precisely because the audience knew that a professional would explain or dramatize the scenes.

Benshi thus became an intermediary between the director and the public, but also an important economic player for theatre operators.

Two projections of the same film could produce a very different experience according to the artist in charge of narrative. The film remained the same, but its interpretation changed.

This particularity is one of the fundamental differences between the Japanese cinema of the time and our modern design of the film as a permanently fixed object.

The Golden Age of Benshi in the 1920s

The 1920s were the culmination of this culture. Cinema is becoming a mass entertainment in Japan and cinemas are growing in large cities.

The benshi are sufficient to form a real organized and hierarchical profession. Their work requires important training, excellent memory and great mastery of diction. Some build their reputation on a particular style and develop a true voice signature.

Narration can also become very elaborate. Introductions are sometimes long and theatrical, while descriptions of places or atmospheres can take on an almost literary dimension. The Benshi is no longer content to make the film understandable: he actively participates in his artistic interpretation.

This period explains why the disappearance of the benshi will be seen as a major transformation of the Japanese film show rather than a mere technical development.

A profession regulated by the authorities

The popularity of cinema and the growing influence of its accompanying people also attract the attention of the authorities. On 14 July 1917, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police promulgated regulations concerning the control of cinematographic performances, including the licensing of benshi.

These regulations show that the benshi now occupy a recognized place in the entertainment industry. Their words are important enough for the authorities to seek to regulate their activities.

This dimension will become even more significant when cinema is used as a means of disseminating political and social messages. The voice of the benshi, because it is produced live, retains a margin of interpretation that does not have a recorded soundtrack.

The arrival of speaking cinema

The real threat to the benshi appears with the development of thespeaking cinema. From the late 1920s on, technical advances made it possible to record dialogues, music and sound effects directly on the film or on synchronized media.

In theory, the role of the benshi becomes useless. Actors can speak directly to the public and dialogues can be understood without the intervention of a narrator.

But the Japanese transition is slower than in some Western countries. The public appreciates the presence of the benshi, the operators must invest in new equipment and a whole profession depends economically on the traditional system.

This is not simply an opposition between an old technology and a new technology. The transition to speaking cinema calls into question an entire economic and cultural model.

Benshi’s Resistance to Sound Cinema

The introduction of sound cinema causes significant tensions between studios, operators, musicians and benshi. For the latter, the generalization of talking films poses a direct threat to their jobs.

Protest movements and strikes appear. In April 1932, a major strike took place in a cinema affiliated with Shochiku in Asakusa, Tokyo. The job losses associated with the introduction of the sound cinema concern the benshi but also the musicians who traditionally accompanied the projections.

This period illustrates the human cost of technology transition. As in many sectors facing major innovation, the skills that had made a profession rich are gradually becoming less indispensable.

However, some benshi are trying to adapt. Their excellent mastery of the voice allows them to convert into radio, theatre, rakugo, variety shows, narration or other entertainment professions.

The gradual disappearance of the benshi

Speaking cinema is not the only factor that explains the decline in benshi. The improvement of Japanese captioning techniques and subtitles also facilitates the understanding of foreign films. The viewer therefore gradually depends less on the narrator to understand the plot.

During the 1930s, sound equipment became widespread in Japanese theatres. New generations of spectators get used to recorded dialogues and the presence of the voices of the actors themselves.

The number of benshi then decreases rapidly.

However, the profession did not disappear overnight. Some continue to work in theatres that keep the cinema silent, while others are reconverting into the professions of voice or performance. But the time when the benshi could be the main stars of a session now belongs to the past.

A legacy that does not disappear completely

The disappearance of the benshi from commercial cinema does not mean the total disappearance of this tradition. Some artists continue to practice this art and pass on their techniques to subsequent generations.

The preservation of silent films also plays an essential role. In Japan, some cinematheques, specialized cinemas and events dedicated to ancient cinema still hold screenings accompanied by benshi.

These performances allow you to find part of the original Japanese cinema experience. Above all, they show that a Japanese silent film was not necessarily intended to be watched in silence. At the time, the image was designed to work with live voice and music.

Midori Sawato and contemporary renewal

Among contemporary artists,Midori Sawatooccupies a particularly important place in saving and transmitting the benshi. His activity has greatly contributed to keeping this art alive and making it known to an audience that obviously did not know the golden age of silent cinema.

A new generation of artists has also developed around this tradition, includingIchiro KataokaandAsami Sakurai. Other Benshi are currently working in Tokyo and Osaka, includingYata Aso,Koyata Aso,Hirono Yamada,Yorimitsu Sakamoto,Akiko Sasaki,Vanilla Yamazaki,Yoichi InoueandKumiko Omori.

However, the trade remains highly specialized. Very few contemporary benshi can live exclusively from this activity. Many act in parallel as vocal actors, radio animators, directors or stage artists.

This reflects the profound transformation of the profession. Benshi is no longer a central figure in Japanese popular cinema, but it remains as a specialized artistic form, particularly appreciated by lovers of film history and cultural heritage.

How is a benshi projection going today?

Attending a projection accompanied by a benshi makes it possible to understand immediately why this tradition could have experienced such success. The film is projected normally, but the artist acts live in front of or next to the screen. He tells the action, interprets the dialogues and adapts his rhythm to the images.

Depending on the performance, musicians can also accompany the screening. The result is more like a live show than a traditional movie session.

The main difference with a doubled film is precisely this live dimension. Benshi’s voice is not integrated into the film. Each representation therefore constitutes a new interpretation of the work.

Two different benshis can tell the same film with different intonations, rhythms and interpretation choices. The living character of performance remains at the heart of this tradition.

Benshi is not a simple doubler

Comparing benshi to modern dubbing can be tempting, but both practices are very different.

A dubbing actor usually records a voice that will then be incorporated into a final version of the film. Benshi works live and constantly adapts his performance to the projection.

It can also explain some passages further, accentuate an emotion or give a particular personality to a character. His intervention is therefore not merely a replacement for an absent voice.

He plays the movie.

It was precisely this freedom that made its strength at the time and still explains the interest of its performances.

Links between benshi and rakugo

The proximity between benshi and other Japanese narrative arts is particularly interesting. Therakugo, for example, rests on a storyteller able to make several characters live mainly thanks to his voice, his expressions and some gestures.

The benshi also uses different voices and intonations to distinguish characters. The main difference is that it has permanent visual support: the cinema screen.

Some contemporary artists work both in the field of benshi and in the field of traditional narrative.

This continuity reminds us that benshi is not an isolated curiosity in the history of cinema. It belongs to a much longer history of Japanese oral performance.

Benshi as Cultural Mediator

The cultural role of the benshi is particularly evident when looking at foreign films shown in Japan in the early twentieth century.

A spectator could discover on screen a society radically different from his. Clothing, buildings, social relations, institutions or daily habits may require explanations.

The benshi could provide this information and adapt the presentation of the film to the Japanese context. It was therefore not merely a reflection of dialogue: it helped to translate a whole cultural universe.

This function explains why benshi played an important role in the appropriation of Western cinema in Japan.

An influence on the language of Japanese cinema

The systematic presence of a narrator also influenced the way Japanese films were designed.

The directors knew that the images would be accompanied by a voice capable of providing additional information. So they could play more on visual ellipses, reduce some headlines or let the benshi present certain characters and events.

Oral narration could also give the film an additional emotional dimension. The same scene could be seen differently depending on how the benshi told it.

The silent Japanese cinema should therefore not be considered as a simple copy of the Western model to which a voice would have been added. It developed according to its own logic, shaped by the relationship between the image, the narrator and the public.

Japanese silent cinema wasn’t really quiet

The expression “mute cinema” finally becomes rather misleading when applied to the Japanese experience of the time.

The film itself did not have a synchronised soundtrack, but the session was accompanied by the benshi voice and, generally, by musicians. The audience thus heard narration, dialogues performed and live music.

This profoundly changes the way one must imagine a Japanese cinema session of the 1910s or 1920s.

Watching today a silent Japanese film without any accompaniment does not necessarily reproduce the experience that the audience of the time would have experienced. The benshi’s voice was an integral part of the show.

Traces left in Japanese culture

Benshi’s influence goes beyond cinema. The narrative formulas, the spectacular introductions and certain twists characteristic of their way of telling stories left a mark in Japanese popular culture.

Their style was part of a tradition where a story could be introduced by a very elaborate description of a place, a time or a situation before the action actually began.

This way of gradually building an atmosphere recalls some traditional forms of Japanese narrative and explains why benshi can be seen as a link between the ancient art of narrative and modern cinema.

Seeing a benshi on a trip to Japan

For travellers interested in the history of Japanese cinema, watching a screening with a benshi is a particularly original experience. However, we should not expect to find this practice daily in classical cinemas. Contemporary performances are usually organized in the context of festivals, retrospectives, cinematheques, restored film screenings or events dedicated to film heritage.

Tokyois naturally one of the best places to look for this type of programming, thanks in particular to the importance of its cultural institutions and the presence of several contemporary artists.Osakaalso has an important tradition and still has active artists.

The schedule must be checked before the trip, as the projections are usually ad hoc. A search in Japanese cultural programs a few weeks or months before the stay can identify a representation.

Why Asakusa is particularly interesting to understand this story

The neighbourhoodAsakusa, in Tokyo, has a special importance in the history of Japanese popular show. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the district concentrated many places of entertainment and became one of the major centres of popular culture in the capital.

Asakusa also plays an important role in the history of Japanese cinema. Its venues, theatres and venues contribute to the dissemination of the new medium to a wide audience.

When a benshi projection is proposed in Tokyo, associating it with an Asakusa discovery can therefore give more depth to the experiment. The visitor no longer discovers only a curiosity of ancient cinema, but an element of a much larger history, that of Tokyo’s entertainment districts and the evolution of urban leisure.

Practical tips for discovering benshi

A projection with benshi is more tasty when one knows a little about the history of the work presented. For a first experiment, choosing a film whose plot is already known can be wise, especially if Japanese is not perfectly mastered. The vocabulary used by a benshi can be theatrical, ancient or very literary, which can make understanding more difficult for a foreign visitor.

It is also interesting to consult the full program of representation. Some sessions include a historical presentation of the film, an introduction to the benshi or a discussion after the screening. These moments provide a better understanding of the artist’s narrative choices and place in the show.

Finally, we must avoid considering performance as a simple accompaniment. Benshi is truly one of the performers of the performance. His performance constitutes a part of the show in the same way as music or images.

The movie Katsuben!

The renewed popularity of Benshi is also reflected in contemporary Japanese cinema. The filmKatsuben!, directed by Masaharu Take and released in 2019, tells the world of benshi during the golden age of silent cinema.

The work is an accessible gateway to this period and provides a better understanding of the importance of these artists in Japanese theatres. She recalls above all that, for several decades, going to the cinema also meant listening to a person telling the film live.

For a traveller wishing to deepen the subject before a stay, discovering a work dedicated to benshi can therefore usefully complement a museum visit or a historical projection.

A tradition that allows you to understand another history of cinema

The history of the benshi finally shows that the evolution of cinema has not followed the same path everywhere. Identical technology can be integrated into different cultures and produce original practices.

In Japan, Western cinema has an extremely developed tradition of oral narrative. The result is a form of show in which the film, contrary to our current conception, is not entirely autonomous. The image is supplemented by the voice of an interpreter who can change the rhythm, emotion and sometimes even understanding of it.

When speaking cinema appears, it is not only one technology that replaces another. It is a whole artistic ecosystem that is gradually disappearing.

Benshi thus represents a profession that is now almost forgotten, but essential to understanding the Japanese film culture of the first half of the 20th century.

The benshi is ultimately much more than a vestige of silent cinema. It bears witness to a time when watching a film also meant listening to an artist telling, interpreting and sometimes reinventing history in front of the public. Born from the encounter between Western technology and Japanese narration traditions, he became for several decades an essential figure in cinemas, before gradually disappearing with the arrival of sound. However, some artists continue to promote this practice. For a traveller curious to discover a less well-known cultural Japan, attending a screening with a benshi thus offers a rare experience: that of finding the cinema not as a mere recorded film, but as a real living show.

Si cet article vous a apporté des informations utiles et peut aider d’autres voyageurs à préparer leur séjour, un avis Google en cliquant sur l’image suivante sera toujours apprécié.